Hearing loss affects men and women differently. Here's how to address the disparity.

You’ve probably heard — or even made — the joke that some men have “selective hearing” when it comes to responding to their significant others. In other words, men might only acknowledge and act on requests they feel interested in pursuing.

This disparity is likely due to employment and lifestyle, said K.K. Gross, who runs the clinical operations for Shea Hearing Aid Center in Memphis and Nashville.

Men who work in fields characterized by loud sounds suffer from noise exposure, which can lead to hearing loss.(Photo: kali9/Getty Images)

“Noise exposure is a leading cause of hearing loss. In fact, noise-induced hearing loss is more prevalent than age-related hearing loss,” she added.

“Men are typically in more environments with loud noise — maybe from more men [having] military careers or jobs in construction and industrial settings, [being exposed to] environmental sounds, loud equipment.

“Men also are more likely to engage in recreational activities where there is loud noise — hunting, shooting, off-roading, monster trucks, four-wheelers,” she continued.

Noise-induced hearing loss often manifests as high-frequency hearing loss, which means that people can’t process certain sounds along the sonic continuum. For men, this hurts their ability to hear voices in higher frequencies, like women and children, though they are still able to hear lower-frequency sounds.

The serious implications of untreated hearing loss

Untreated hearing loss can cause all sorts of direct relationship issues, from minor miscommunication to long-term disagreements over what someone perceives to be improper behavior.

In the workplace, untreated hearing loss also has major implications. People may miss important points discussed in meetings or on conference calls or may not follow through on promised tasks because they misunderstood what they agreed to do. It can even also lead to errors if a worker cannot hear numbers or directives correctly.

Employees could even diminish their earning potential over time.

“People with untreated hearing loss may lose as much as $30,000 a year in income,” Gross said.

There are countless reasons to treat hearing loss beyond the obvious of being able to hear with more clarity. Hearing loss is also linked to serious physical health issues — including conditions that might seem unrelated, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis, falls and overall health.

“Untreated hearing loss has about the same effect on lifespan as smoking,” Gross said.

Hearing loss treatments are more advanced now — and have life-long benefits

The good news, Gross said, is that treating hearing loss addresses many of these issues — it reduces the risk of income loss, heals relationships and improves health outcomes.

“Treating hearing loss gives you so many quality of life benefits,” Gross said. In fact, some studies show that people who correct hearing loss with hearing aids are more engaged, more optimistic and enjoy a higher quality of life.

Thanks to technology advances, hearing loss treatment has also come a long way in recent years. Hearing aids are far more discreet now — for example, Invisible-in-the-Canal (IIC) hearing aids are tucked away in the ear canal, out of public view — and are often integrated with common devices used in everyday life.

Several cutting-edge models allow conversations and music to stream from an iPhone directly to a hearing device. Telecoils are an excellent option for phones and can also connect to looped systems that transmit audio directly to the device wirelessly. Looped systems are becoming more and more prevalent in churches, auditoriums, classrooms, theaters and other venues. Today’s sophisticated hearing technology is designed to deliver high-definition sound in any environment.

People are happy

Taking that leap and deciding to get your hearing checked is a big step. It’s a big decision to wear hearing aids. However, it’s worth it: According to the Better Hearing Institute, 91 percent of people who purchased hearing aids in the last year were pleased with their decision.

Anecdotally, Gross has also heard plenty of positive feedback from the people she’s helped.

“One of the most common things that we hear from a new hearing aid wearer is ‘I wish I'd done this years ago; I don’t know why I waited.’”

If you suspect hearing loss is affecting your job or relationships, the licensed hearing professionals at Shea Hearing Aid Center in Memphis and Nashville are there to provide individualized support and guidance.

Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA Today Network were not involved in the creation of this content.